Peter Anderson Festival

The Peter Anderson Festival transformed the streets of downtown Ocean Springs into a hub for art, food, and beer this weekend. News 25’s Caroline Eaker had a chance to speak with some of the unique artists who had their work on display.
To most, a skateboard without wheels is useless, but to New Orleans based Artist Jeffrey St. Romain it is a work of art. “I started it in ’05 after Katrina hit and it was a rideable skateboard company at the time and people liked the art that I was putting on them. They were buying them to hang rather than to skate on so one thing led to another and I kind of just went in that direction with it. You know you are selling to skaters and now I am selling to art collectors.”
This is the third year St. Romain has brought his one of a kind skateboards to the Peter Anderson Festival. Each year he makes sure that the original pencil drawings are fine tuned to perfection. “I end up trying to spend more time on each piece. You know, every new piece I do, I try and make better than the last. I probably got about one hundred hours in that drawing.”
While some artists are regional, others travel across state borders just to sell their art work at the Peter Anderson Festival. Artist Angela Bond said, “I go to various ones in Michigan. There’s one called the Ann Arbor Arts Festival. In Florida, I do like Arti Gras and Gasparilla. It depends on the time of year. I’ll go to the Midwest. I go all over.”
Bond has been making the trip from Georgia to Ocean Springs for more than six years now and even though she travels around the world to sell her work, she feels that there is something special about the Peter Anderson Festival. “The best thing about these is my artist friends. It’s like a little family. I meet some of the most interesting people. I love some of my customers. I really look forward to seeing them again, but the artists are friends, too. You meet some really special people.”